When opening a restaurant, never forget…
You are in the business to make people happy and, to make it work, you have to be speaking to people on all levels face-to-face — from your purveyors to your customers.

As Brits celebrating Thanksgiving…
We Love Thanksgiving! Its a holiday all about family and food and is not commercial and about presents. We have been lucky to make many fantastic friends that we call family here and spend it with them and have adopted all the traditions a classic American Thanksgiving has to offer.

Advice to would-be entrepreneurs…
Choose a different career! That’s a joke. Always stay true to your values and beliefs. Recognize the environment you are around and remember that quality costs more. This is not a business to be in if you are driven by money. Choose a neighborhood where you love to spend time. The community that you build around a restaurant is so important and you spend more time there than at home.

And the restaurateurs you admire most…
There are too many to mention but some really close to our heart:

Our great friends in London opened The Shed in Notting Hill. It’s three brothers taking farm-to-table food to the next level: One brother is the farmer, one brother is the chef and the other runs the place. Oh, and the father and mother make the wine!

The Hub in Cornwall in England, opened by Ben’s brother. It’s just an awesome idea, great concept and uses the best local ingredients.

Anything our great friend Charlie Gilkes opens. Most recently he opened Mr Fogg’s in London. It’s one of the most creative bars we have been to. He manages to marry the highest-quality service and attention to detail without taking it all to seriously. Genius!